Sketchy Flavors of Love
by hikao-chan
Summary: Sakuno is now in high school moving on from her long time crush and tennis when their new class adviser decides to give them a unique project. Will this be able to help her? But where does the famous stoic captain of Seigaku fit in this picture?
1. Chapter 1: The First Day

**SUMMARY: **Sakuno is now in high school moving on from her long time crush and tennis when their new class adviser decides to give them a unique project. Will this be able to help her? But where does the famous stoic captain of Seigaku fit in this picture?

**Summary (the original one 'cause FF only allowed a max of 255 characters):**

Ryuzaki Sakuno is already in high school. She's over her long time crush on a certain tennis prince and also understands that tennis isn't for her so now she's looking for other activities that might interest her when their teacher appears and gives them a unique project. Will this be able to answer her quest? But where does the famous stoic captain of Seigaku fit in this picture?

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Prince of Tennis.

**A/N**: This is my first time writing a TezuSaku fanfic.. Heck.. This is the first time I'm even writing a multi-chaptered fanfic! Well anyway I hope you will enjoy this! Oh and please bear with the relatively slow flow of the story~ I want to dwell into building up the characters and their relationships~

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><p><strong>Sketchy Flavors of Love<strong>

**by: hikao-chan**

**Chapter1: The First Day**

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><p>.<p>

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It was a pleasant Monday morning for two high school girls who were on their way to school. Even though the air was a tad bit chilly it was still very comfortable since the sun was giving off an adequate amount of warmth. The sides of the road they were walking on were lined with magnificently blooming cherry blossom trees and it seemed like the place was bathed in a pink hue.

'_It's just like a painting_,' thought a certain auburn-haired girl with twin braids.

"Ne, Sakuno are you listening?"

It was Osakada Tomoka's voice that pulled Ryuzaki Sakuno from her musings that early morning. They were nearing the school gate when her best friend noticed her deep in thought.

"Ah. Gomen, Tomo-chan! I'm just admiring the cherry blossoms. They're really in full bloom today," she smiled while her friend just sighed at her.

"Mou… Aren't you excited that today is our first day here in high school? This is it! We will be able to meet new people and we might even find a boyfriend!" her friend declared with a certain fire in her eyes.

Sakuno chuckled lightly at her friend's behavior before telling her that most of their classmates would probably be from the same middle school as them in which case Tomoka just listened with deaf ears. Their conversation ranged from a variety of topics until they reached the school gate where they were greeted by a pair of familiar faces.

"Ah! Eiji-senpai! Oishi-senpai! " Sakuno uttered in surprise.

"HOI HOI! RYUZAKI-CHAN! I knew it was you when I saw those familiar braids, nya! So, where's Ochibi? Is he with you guys? But I don't see him anywhere? W-wait! Is he skipping the first day? He _is_going to this high school isn't he? Did he change his mind? B-but I talked to him last week over the phone and he said he'll be here!"

Kikumaru Eiji greeted her with great enthusiasm accompanied by a _lot_ of questions. Because of his sudden outburst almost all the students passing by were now looking at them curiously which caused Sakuno to feel a bit embarrassed.

Well who wouldn't spare these two guys a glance? These few years really did change them a lot. Aside from the difference in height, the deepening of their voice and the slight change in their muscular built they also sported new hairstyles*. Oishi's hair has grown and his signature bangs were not present anymore. On the other hand, Kikumaru had his hair divided almost equally before but now his hair parted to the left and he has bangs too. The years turned them into fine young men indeed.

"Eiji!" It was Oishi Shūichirō's reprimanding voice that seemed to catch the red-head's attention.

"Nya, I'm sorry about that Ryuzaki-chan! I was just excited to see familiar faces again!" he grinned sheepishly before going back to his place next to his doubles partner.

"Please forgive Eiji's behavior, Ryuzaki-san, Osakada-san. You know how he is," Oishi said earning him laughter from the two girls and a pout from his read-head friend.

"It's okay, Oishi-senpai. We're used to it by now," Tomoka said to which they laughed again. They started talking about a lot of things to catch up with the happenings in their respectively lives. Sakuno almost forgot that Eiji-senpai and Oishi-senpai were one of the friendliest people in the tennis club. They were having a lot of fun discussing random things when she remembered something.

"A-ano, senpai . Are you waiting for Ryoma-san here?" Sakuno asked.

There was a tinge of surprise in Oishi eyes after hearing the change in honorific for the tennis prince but it seemed that Sakuno failed to notice his reaction.

'_Well not only her_,' he silently thought as Kikumaru was the one who answered for them.

"Yep! But we're also here to guide the freshmen students. See?" he said before showing off a white shoulder band that read _Student Council Committee_.

"Student Council Committee?" she read while tilting her head to the right. This time Oishi was the one to reply.

"Yes, we're now part of the Student Council. I'm the Auditor. Eiji's the Public Information Officer and well, Tezuka is still the Student Council President."

"Eh? Tezuka-senpai is still the president? Isn't that a bit hard?" she exclaimed before immediately covering her mouth with her hand when she spotted a familiar figure heading towards their direction.

Oishi, Sakuno and Tomoka all had their attention to that person while Kikumaru merely laughed at her actions oblivious to what was really happening.

"Well, it really is hard for normal person but we're talking about Tezuka here! I don't really think he's pretty norm-"

Before Kikumaru could even finish he was interrupted by someone behind him.

_*cough*_

Kikumaru sweat-dropped when he heard that voice. He tried fixing his expression before slowly turning his head to the subject of their conversation.

Kunimitsu Tezuka was standing right behind him with his usual stoic expression but that didn't stop heads from turning towards him and other girls from staring at his handsome figure. Just when Tomoka thought that the renowned tennis captain couldn't get any more good-looking than he already is, she was clearly mistaken. Even her best friend who wasn't the type to appreciate a good-looking young man has a tinge of pink in her cheeks.

'_The senpai-tachis really changed a lot_, "Sakuno mused as she kept looking at the three men in front of her. Even though Tezuka is close with her grandmother, she never really saw him after her senpais graduated from middle school.

He was a lot taller now, his shoulders were broader and his muscular built also changed quite a bit. If you were to compare his current body structure from his middle school days you would probably say that his middle school self was lean while his current self looks like he has maintained his body well. Moreover, his hair was a bit longer than before and it was arranged in quite a stylish manner.

"Ehehe…T-Tezuka! We w-were just talking about you..eheh..uh.."

"Yes, I heard," he stated coolly before turning his gaze at the two young ladies beside Oishi particularly at a certain girl with twin braids. Recognition flooded his eyes and he nodded towards Sakuno as a sign of greeting. She was surprised by his action but immediately bowed and smiled at him. It seemed that she thought he has forgotten her.

"Eiji is just kidding about the whole 'not normal' thing,Tezuka," Oishi offered his explanation when he saw his doubles partner sending him ridiculous S.O.S. signals. The two girls tried to hold in their laughter because of their senpai's silly antics.

The stoic captain just blinked at that statement before adjusting his glasses.

"The opening ceremony is about to start," he reminded them then turned his back and walked towards the school auditorium. He may have changed in appearance but Tezuka was still a man of few words. After hearing that, Sakuno immediately checked her watch only to find out that they were talking for a good half hour now.

"A-ano ,it's good to see you senpai-tachi's again but I think we really should be going now," she smiled apologetically.

"It's okay, Ryuzaki-san. Sorry for keeping you here," Oishi said.

"It was fun talking to you guys, nya! Let's just see each other in school, okay?" Kikumaru chided in while giving them a childish grin.

"Hai!" Sakuno beamed before bowing her head and pulling her friend towards the direction that Tezuka went to.

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><p>The school auditorium was a sight to behold. It was only recently built because according to a teacher who was greeting the students in the entrance they were the first batch of freshmen students to hold their opening ceremony here. The chairs were lined in a semi-circled fashion and in the middle of it was the stage. The edges of the stage were furnished with blue and white balloons while the platform for the speakers was decorated by flowers. There were stairs on both sides of the stage and these were also embellished with the necessary decorations.<p>

_'I wonder why they built such an extravagant auditorium,' _Sakuno mused. After a few minutes, she became busy looking at the ceiling to count how many lights there are while waiting for the ceremony to start. Just then she saw someone approach the platform and clear his throat before speaking into the microphone.

"I would like to greet everyone a pleasant morning," Ishikawa Takao, the headmaster of Seishun Senior High School, addressed them in a cheerful tone. He was a lean old man probably around 58 to 60 with grayish white hair. Even though he looks old there were still traces of how good-looking he had probably been when he was younger. He continued with his speech even though only a minority of the incoming freshmen students was actually listening to him. Sakuno was one of those. She was always very keen on abiding rules and listening to people properly when they talk. Her grandmother always told her to watch her manners and that even though a lot of people were doing it she shouldn't be dragged into the flow of the crowd.

While still listening to the headmaster she studied the other 15 people seated at chairs on the stage. She was sitting at the 4th row so she can see their faces quite clearly. While she was studying them her gaze stopped at a female teacher. She was wearing a yellow long-sleeved turtleneck sweater and a pair of navy blue leggings. Her long curly pink hair was adorned with a white headband.

_'Pretty,'_ Sakuno couldn't help but stare at the beautiful teacher and as if on cue the said female teacher turned to her direction and she was now staring directly into deep azure eyes. The teacher smiled at her before turning her attention back to the headmaster. Sakuno bowed her head in embarrassment of being caught staring.

She glanced over to her right to find her friend, Tomoka, looking at the other students to look for her so called "destined lover". Honestly, her friend should try to tone down her daydreams during times like this.

_'And I should stop staring at people because it is rude_,' she reprimanded herself for her actions. Sakuno tried to signal Tomoka to stop turning her head too much because she was also attracting the attention of other students when she felt someone was looking at her. She turned her view towards the opposite direction only to be caught by a familiar pair of golden eyes.

_'Ah! Ryoma-san! '_ She raised her hand and gave him a little wave.

Echizen Ryoma just nodded in acknowledgment and immediately turned towards the stage. His eyes narrowed a bit when he spotted someone familiar on the stage. It wasn't because of the person why he reacted that way it was because of what that person was doing.

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><p>Tezuka was busy trying to stop some of the freshmen students who were obviously chatting away too loudly during the ceremony by staring them down with his eyes. Of course, no one would dare try to equal his hard gaze. Well except for a certain Echizen Ryoma and his best friend Syūsuke Fuji who seemed to be immune to it.<p>

He scanned the entire auditorium to search for Ryoma. When he did see him the first year wasn't looking at the stage in front but at his left side. He followed his line of vision and saw that Ryoma was looking not at something but at someone that someone being Ryuzaki Sakuno.

He wasn't able to look at her properly this morning because he was busy telling other first years to proceed to the auditorium. It's been almost a year since he last saw her and she's taller now and her hair was longer but they were still kept in her signature twin braids giving a sort of childlike air around her. She doesn't stand out much from the crowd but when you do notice her you would probably get lost in her doe-like chocolate brown eyes surrounded by full thick eyelashes.

_'Minus the braids and she'll probably have a lot of suitors lining up for her. Well, even if she still wears her hair in braids I doubt that would be a problem. She's already beautiful inside and out,' _Tezuka contemplated. He was a bit perplexed at his train of thought because he has never really envisioned something like that with regards to the girl.

_'Maybe it's because you haven't seen her for while,'_ a little voice in his head said explained.

'_That's it. She was like a little sister to me before in middle school,'_ he added. When he was contented with his reasoning he turned his vision back to Ryoma only to be met by his strange gaze. The first year was looking at him with slightly narrowed eyes to which the stoic captain of Seigaku answered with a blank stare. He had a hunch as to why the boy was looking at him strangely but he just casually dismissed it. He paid attention to the ceremony because after the headmaster it was the student council president's turn to speak.

After finishing his speech with his famous saying, "Don't let your guard down," he immediately returned to his seat.

Unbeknownst to him the little staring game he had a while ago didn't go unseen by a pair of curious eyes. Tsukimiya Ringo smiled sweetly at Tezuka before standing up and heading towards the platform since the homeroom teachers would be the next to say a few things.

_I think this school year is going to be interesting._

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><p><strong>つづく<strong>

**To Be Continued**

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><p><strong>AN:** Please kindly leave a REVIEW! Tell me what you guys think about it and if there are any mistakes or if they're OOC ~ I would love to hear from you even if it's just a one-liner review :D

Also I'm sorry if it's a bit short but I promise to make it up on the next chapters~ I just find it quite hard to stop myself from publishing this that's why it's so short ;P

You guys can check out my profile for the picture of their new hairstyles and also for my other PoT fanfic ;)

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	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Prince of Tennis.

**A/N**: I edited the first chapter because I messed up a lot. So please forgive me m(_ _)m

Emeraude, Ammu, DetektivConan4life- Thank you for reviewing! I couldn't contact you guys so I just put it here :)

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><p><strong>Sketchy Flavors of Love<strong>

**by: hikao-chan**

**Chapter 2**

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><p>.<p>

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"Don't let your guard down," Kunimitsu Tezuka, captain of the Seigaku Tennis Club and Student Council President finished his speech with his trademark phrase. He then proceeded to introduce one of the homeroom teachers.

"I would also like to introduce one of the homeroom teachers who will be in charged, Tsukimiya Ringo-sensei. He is one of the esteemed faculty members here," after that short introduction he returned to his seat and gave a respectful bow to the said teacher. Tezuka was a bit puzzled as to why Ringo-sensei was smiling at him too sweetly but of course; he did not let that emotion show on his face.

"_Just like a certain person I know,"_ he pondered and an image of a certain _tensai_ popped in his mind. He shook the idea from his head thinking that spending too much time with his best friend, Fuji Syuusuke, might have taken a toll on his observation skills. He was a bit preoccupied with those thoughts that he hadn't notice the dumbfounded looks on the freshmen's faces.

"Eh? Why did he say 'he'? "

"Did he just introduce this beautiful teacher using 'he'?"

"He must be nervous that he made a mistake."

Sakuno could hear some of the whispers from the other first years about the weird introduction. It wasn't like him to make this kind of simple mistake at all.

"_Well, Tezuka-senpai is also a human being so he's entitled to make some mistakes sometimes,"_ She thought wistfully and slightly nodded her head to give emphasis on her conclusion. She then looked at Ringo-sensei when she suddenly remembered something. _"I think I heard the name Tsukimiya Ringo before I just don't recall when or where," _she sighed before giving up on figuring it out.

"Ohayou-puu everyone! "

Sakuno was a bit surprised when she heard Ringo-sensei speak because she was expecting a more gentle voice than what she heard but what surprised her even more was how the other students reacted.

"Ah! It really is THE Tsukimiya Ringo! "

"Seriously? I thought they only looked alike!"

"Silly! They even have the same name so there's no doubt about it!"

"I can't believe it! Tsukimiya Ringo is really one of the teachers here."

"That's right! I am the very picture of a maiden, Tsukimiya Ringo. Let's all get along well, shall we? " Tsukimiya Ringo ended his short introduction in an energetic manner. He was winking at some of the students and waving his hands like some kind of celebrity and almost every one of the students were captivated by his charm because they were all cheering loudly.

To say that Sakuno is confused was an understatement. She really had no idea as to why the other students were behaving this way. Instead of trying to come up with a plausible explanation of the turn of events she just decided to ask Tomoka later after the ceremony because she saw that her friend was cheering loudly like the other first years. The rest of the program ended uneventfully and all the students were told to proceed to their respective classes. She tried making her way through the crowd until she spotted the familiar figure of her friend.

"Tomo-chan!" she called out but it seemed that her friend didn't hear her. She was too busy trying to catch up to her friend that she forgot she had a terrible sense of balance and in a few seconds the expected thing happened. She tripped and was about to fall face flat on the ground when suddenly someone caught her by the waist and arm and pulled her safely back to her feet. She was surprised to see Tezuka's face in front of her. He immediately let her go and she started apologizing profusely while she hung her head in trying to hide her beet red face. It was then that she noticed someone was still holding on to her arm and when she looked up she saw Ryoma. She momentarily forgot about her embarrassment and uttered his name in surprise.

"Ah! Ryoma-san!" Her voice brought him back to his senses and he let go of her arm. Her words then suddenly registered in his brain and he unconsciously knotted his forehead. _Ryoma-san_?

It seems like Oishi wasn't the only one who was surprised that day about the change of suffix attached to Ryoma's name.

Tezuka saw the boy's reaction and was the one to stop the soon to become heavy and probably awkward atmosphere. He had a hunch as to why there was such a change but he would never voice it out to anyone.

"Are you alright?" he tried catching her attention and it succeeded when her big doe-like brown eyes met his hazel ones.

"A-ano.. Thank you so much for helping me Tezuka-senpai and Ryoma-san! I'm sorry for bothering you, I tend to be a bit clumsy sometimes," she chuckled a smear of red tainted her cheeks.

Tezuka nodded at her while Ryoma just looked away before muttering a short 'Hnn' in reply.

"Eto… I should be going now, Tezuka-senpai, Ryoma-san. Thank you again!" she uttered and bowed deeply before scampering off to where she last saw her friend.

Tezuka kept his gaze on the running figure of the girl because he knew that she might fall again. He was right because after only a mere ten seconds she almost tripped again but it was a good thing that she was able to steady herself. She turned around and saw him still looking at her. He was quite amused when she called out 'I'm okay' and then bowed again before disappearing into the school building's entrance.

"_Some things really don't change,"_ he mused and turned to look at the young man beside him.

"Echizen," he called out.

Ryoma tore his gaze away from the school building's entrance and looked at Tezuka questioningly.

"Welcome back," was the answer he got. He grinned before replying, "Arigatou, Tezuka-senpai."

Tezuka adjusted his glasses and walked away when he remembered something.

"That's 'buchou' to you," he reminded the tennis prince before continuing his steps.

That remark surprised Ryoma and after a few seconds he allowed a smirk to appear on his lips.

"Wizz!" came his response. He then followed the direction that Sakuno had taken.

_Truly, some things really don't change._

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><p>When Sakuno finally caught up with her friend she was already out of breath. Who knew that the Seishun Senior High School was a lot bigger than Seishun Gakuen?<p>

"Ah! Sakuno! There you are! We have a big problem!" Tomoka said with traces of panic evident in her voice.

"..A..E-eto.. What's..wrong?" Sakuno tried to ask in between pants. She was still trying to catch her breath after all that running.

"Here!" her friend then pointed something at the bulletin board she was standing in front of, "We're in different classes! I'm in 1-A while you're in 1-C!"

Sakuno was really disappointed that she wasn't in the same class as her best friend. They had been in the same class throughout middle school after all. She looked at the list again.

"Look on the bright side, Tomo-chan. At least you're in the same class with Ryoma-san," she said. Tomoka whipped her head back to the list and saw it's true that she'll be in the same class with the tennis prince.

"Eh? Really! " Tomoka squealed but then she remembered that it wouldn't be the same if her best friend wasn't around. Sakuno immediately saw through her friend's discomfort and offered a smile to ease her friend's worry.

"Don't worry, Tomo-chan. I'll be alright! And besides, it's not like we won't be able to meet right?"

Tomoka was touched by her friend's words but she can still clearly see how Sakuno was trying to be tough. She was lucky enough to be in the same class with someone she knew from middle school while her friend didn't know a single person in her class.

"You're absolutely right! We can meet during the weekends and break times and we can even introduce some of the new people we meet. And.. and.. if someone bullies you, Sakuno just tell me and I'll tell Ryoma-sama and he'll help you beat those bulli-" She immediately covered her mouth when she realized what she was saying. She looked apologetically at her friend who just chuckled softly at her.

"Mou.. Tomo-chan. You don't have to stop yourself from talking about Ryoma-san. It's been almost a year anyway," she smiled thoughtfully while remembering how her long time crush on Ryoma ended on a sad tone.

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><p><em>F L A S H B A C K<em>

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><p>Ryuzaki Sakuno, now a third year student in Seishun Gakuen, was really excited that day. It was a typical Sunday afternoon in the Ryuzaki household. She was cleaning the house and thinking about what to prepare for their dinner when she received a call from her grandmother saying that Ryoma's going to be back for a weeklong vacation. After winning the Nationals when they were still in their first year, Ryoma went to America to compete in other tournaments and continue his studies there. It was more convenient that way after all, than to participate in those events and then fly back here in Japan to study. He was never able to come back until today.<p>

In the year and months that he wasn't here she wrote him letters about how Momo-senpai and Kaidoh-senpai were running the tennis club by themselves and about other things like the weather and asking questions about his life. Along with her letter was her grandmother's letter about the well-being of their other senpais. She was too busy with her studies and tennis practice that she didn't have enough time to go to the high school department to find how the others were faring so she asked her grandmother to do so. Ryuzaki Sumire was more than willing to do that since she was also planning on transferring to the high school tennis club as their coach after Sakuno graduated from middle school.

Sakuno was really happy every time she would receive Ryoma's letters because he still had the time to write her back. It didn't matter if his letters were short since she knew he wasn't really the type to write long winded letters. His replies usually consisted of how he is doing in America, making a few comments about Inui-senpai's new drinks and asking her to tell Momo-senpai, _"Mada mada dane"._

Her happy thoughts were interrupted when the phone rang she knew it was her grandmother calling so she hurriedly picked up the phone. Her grandmother told her to meet in Kawamura's restaurant and order enough food for eight people since Oishi, Eiji and Tezuka aren't sure if they'll be able to come to Ryoma's welcoming party. They did however; told her grandmother that they'll plan another get-together with the entire Seigaku Tennis Club.

"Okay, Obaa-chan. I'll be on the way," she said enthusiastically. After putting the phone down she went upstairs to change. She left their house with a smile full of hope and determination.

"_Ryoma-kun's back… I really hope I'll be able to say it this time"._

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><p>It was already past ten in the evening when Sakuno returned home. Who would've thought she would be going out of their front door with a smile only to end up coming back in tears? She was soaking wet from the rain but she didn't bother to hurry inside the warm comfort of their house. She shivered when a gust of wind passed through her frail figure. Her arms went up to her sides trying to hug herself while closing her eyes tightly.<p>

"_I don't want to cry anymore. I don't want to cry anymore. I don't want to cry anymore," _she chanted in her mind. She fought very hard to stop the tears but she was losing the battle.

_Two hours ago…_

"Oi Echizen, did you get any better being in America all this time?" Momoshiro asked. They all decided to take a walk on a pathway in the nearby park after having dinner at Kawamura's restaurant. It was quite a chilly evening and the stars were not visible in the sky because of the clouds. It would only be a matter of time before the rain starts.

"Fsshh.. He can still beat your ass even if he didn't go to America," Kaidoh mocked. Momoshiro obviously heard the unwanted comment and his brows furrowed in annoyance.

"Hahh.. Did you say something, Mamushi?" he said in a serious tone and grabbed the collar of Kaidoh's shirt to which the latter retorted with, "Are you deaf?"

And then they started bickering while taking huge steps. They both didn't realize they were already running while shouting different _colorful _insults to piss off each other. Kawamura tried stopping them while Inui merely wrote something in his notebook and asked a few comments from Coach Ryuzaki who just shook her head saying, "they'll never change".

Sakuno watched this scene in front of her and felt nostalgic. She continued looking ahead and realized that they were already quite a few meters behind the group. She peeked at the center of her affections for these few years and can't help but smile. He didn't change much and it made her feel relieved. She didn't know what to do if Ryoma came back here as another person. Well even if he did change she knew for a fact that her heart would still recognize the boy she met on the train a few years ago. Her heart would always beat wildly for him. Her words would always be caught in her throat because of his presence. Her happiness would come from him. It will always be him. Her heart skipped a bit and her face turned into beet red when Ryoma seemed to sense her gaze and turned to her direction. She immediately avoided his eyes and looked at the other direction while trying to steady the wild beating of her heart. When she looked back at Ryoma he wasn't looking at her anymore. She didn't know what came over her but she suddenly started confessing.

"Ryoma-kun..T-to be… to be honest, I.. I r-really… I really like yo—"

"Oi Echizen! Are you getting slower or are we just walking faster than you now—" Momoshiro teased and then stopped when he saw how red Sakuno's face was. "Oops. Yare yare! Don't mind me!" he laughed and continued walking while Kaidoh taunted him again about being a pain in the neck and blessed with the perfect timing.

"Gomen, Ryuzaki but can you tell me that some other time," Ryoma said and smirked at the retreating figures of their senpais. He half ran towards them with his signature cocky grin oblivious to the reaction of the girl he left behind.

"Mada mada dane!" Sakuno heard him call out to their Momo-senpai. Of course she knew he was talking about something different but she couldn't help but think that his words were really connected to her confession. After all, how many times did she ask for his answer only to be answered in this manner? She remembered the first time she tried confessing. It was before his match with Yukimura during the Nationals but he told her to continue what she had to say after the game. She did as told and when she tried confessing again he told her the same thing. She knew tennis was his priority before so what made her think it would change now?

Her eyesight became blurry because of the tears that she refused to shed. She wouldn't want anyone to see how hurt she felt at that moment. It didn't matter if Ryoma rejected her directly or not because the scene that just happen only opened her eyes that he wasn't really thinking about anything aside from tennis. She didn't want to burden him with her tears or blame him for her heartache. In the first place, she already knew how important tennis was to him yet her innocent little heart still told her to not let go and that in the future he would also feel the same.

She hung her head low and ran to the opposite direction only to bump into someone. She immediately apologized without even looking at the person she bumped.

"I'm sorry! I'm really sorry!"

"Sakuno-chan? Is something wrong?" She looked up and saw Syusuke Fuji's worried face.

"Fuji-senpai! A-ano.. I thought you were with Inui-senpai," she commented trying to keep her mind off the events that transpired.

"I told them to go on ahead because I'll be making a phone ca— " he stopped when he heard a sob come from the petite girl. He tried to peak at her face but she was looking down at the ground so he couldn't clearly see if she was really crying or not.

"Ah... Is that so? Fuji-senpai c-can you please tell Obaa-chan that I'll be going to Tomo-chan's house?" she concentrated on stopping the sobs from coming out of her mouth but to no avail. She ran past her senpai but he held on to her wrist.

Fuji was surprised to see the tear-stricken face of Ryuzaki Sakuno. He could almost feel the hurt and pain that her eyes showed him. He wasn't planning to let her go in this condition until he heard her speak.

"Onegai, Fuji-senpai," she pleaded and was thankful when he let her go. She didn't bother to look back and just kept going to where her feet would lead her.

Fuji immediately took out his phone and called someone. It would be wise to not let their coach know about this now because all hell would break loose if that happened. He was glad when the person on the other line immediately picked up his phone only after a few rings.

"Tezuka".

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><p>Tezuka Kunimitsu spotted the familiar figure of Ryuzaki Sakuno standing in front of the door to her house. Fuji called him two hours ago to tell him what happened and asked him to help search for the girl. They didn't bother telling the other regulars because it would only catch the attention of their coach. He was running around for two hours and there were still no signs of the brunette. He then decided to tell her grandmother of the event because he knew she had the right to know and that's when he saw her there. He sighed in relief and was about to leave when he noticed that she still wasn't moving and the rain was starting to fall again. He hastened his steps towards the girl and shielded her from the rain with his umbrella though it looked like it didn't matter anymore because she was already very wet. A few seconds passed before Sakuno felt his presence. He was taken aback when he saw her face. Her eyes that used to be so expressive were now brown orbs devoid of any emotion. Her rosy skin paled into paper white and there were red puffy circles under her eyes.<p>

He tried to knock on the door but was immediately stopped by her frail arms. He turned his attention to her but she wasn't looking at him. Her gaze was fixed on the floor. He didn't know how to comfort her because he wasn't used to seeing someone in this state so he opted to gently patting her head. She glanced towards him and her eyes turned watery while her mouth tried to contain the sobs coming out of her. Maybe it was protective instinct that took over because Tezuka found his free arm encircling her dejected form. She was crying silently until she was too tired and fell asleep in his arms. He threw his umbrella away and immediately knocked at the door before picking her up.

Ryuzaki Sumire was so shocked to find her granddaughter all wet and asleep in the arms of one of her tennis players. She couldn't even utter a single word and she only managed to gather her wits when the famous stoic captain bowed his head and asked where Sakuno's room was. She told him it was upstairs second door on the right.

When Tezuka came down, Sumire asked him what happened.

"I'm sorry, Coach Ryuzaki but I think it would be better if you will ask her instead," he answered. She didn't press the issue further and thanked him instead. She also offered him a cup of tea but the young man politely declined and said that he'll be returning home instead. She didn't bother persuading him because it was also very late and walked him to the front door. Tezuka bowed deeply before heading out while Ryuzaki Sumire made sure that she will ask her granddaughter what exactly happened.

When Sakuno woke up the next day she felt extremely tired and feverish. She stood up only to find herself falling back on her bed because she felt really dizzy. She did not remember how she got back to her room. The last thing she remembered was standing in the front door of her house all wet from the rain. The memories of what happened last night came back and the pain seemed to double. She was about to cry when she heard a soft knock on her door. She immediately wiped her eyes. It was then that her grandmother entered her room with a tray of soup and a glass of water.

"Obaa-chan…Gomen," she said while trying to hide the sadness in her voice.

"Are you alright now?"

"I..I'm fine now, obaa-chan. I just got a little wet from the rain, that's all," she answered and forced a smile but she knew better than to try to deceive her dear grandmother who knows her more than she knows herself.

"You can tell me anything, Sakuno. I'll always be here for you ne?" All her walls and the façade she put up came crumbling down when she heard this statement from her obaa-chan. She immediately hugged her grandmother and cried her entire heart out until she couldn't cry anymore.

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><p><em>E N D OF F L A S H B A C K<em>

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><p>Sakuno's recollection of the painful memory was interrupted by the ringing of the school bell.<p>

"Ah! We're going to be late!" She and Tomoka both said. They started running towards their respective rooms with Tomoka leading the way since she was still as directionally-challenged as ever. They reached Tomoka's classroom first and after saying a few more good luck, bye, see you later, Sakuno proceeded towards her own classroom. She took a deep breath before opening the door.

_I'll be fine._

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><p><strong>つづく<strong>

**To Be Continued**

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><p><strong>AN:** The 1st year classes were arranged randomly and not by the results of the entrance exams but for the succeeding year levels it will be arranged according to the student's grades.

I hope I didn't disappoint you guys in any way. I had a hard time writing the whole RyoSaku confession because I was too happy today and I couldn't put sad emotions into writing so I started listening to Yuugure, one of the ost's of PoT and I got carried away. I had to cut this chapter here because it didn't feel right to continue on a happy tone after all that drama.

I promise to update before November 14 'cause that's the start of our classes and I'll be too busy to update during that week.

PLEASE DROP IN A REVIEW because this hasn't been proofread yet so there might be some mistakes or they might be OOC :)

I would really appreciate it!

YAY. I was able to post it on 11/11/11 :)

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	3. Chapter 3: The Request

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Prince of Tennis.

**A/N**: After all that drama this chapter's going to be lighter in tone. Also.. I'm sorry for not posting it earlier! Lkajsdklajds I was SUPPOSED to post this BEFORE Nov.14 but… eheheh.. well just think of it as a sort of Christmas Present :)

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><p><strong>Sketchy Flavors of Love<strong>

**by: hikao-chan**

**Chapter 3 The Request**

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><p>.<p>

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Ryuzaki Sakuno quietly opened the door to her new classroom so as not to attract too much attention to her. She was relieved that her new classmates were too busy chatting with each other to notice her. She immediately sat at the chair nearest her and stared at her table while biting her bottom lip.

"_It's no good. I still can't speak to anyone because I'm too shy. If Tomo-chan were here... No! I can't depend on Tomo-chan all the time! I-"_ her little internal ramblings were stopped when a voice called out to her.

"Excuse me, is someone sitting here?" Three girls were standing around the chair next to her. Sakuno shook her head to answer the question and smiled tentatively. She was surprised that the three of them returned her smile.

"My name's Fuwa Eriko," the girl who asked her the question said. She was taller than Sakuno with short black hair and black eyes. "And this is my twin, Emiko" she added and pointed to the girl on her right. They really looked alike except Emiko's hair was long and curly. "And this is Handa Chise," she gestured towards the other girl on her left. Chise was wearing glasses and her medium length brown hair was tied up in a pony tail.

"I'm Ryuzaki Sakuno. It's nice to meet you," Sakuno said and politely bowed her head. They had the usual conversation between newly acquainted people. They asked which middle school each of them came from and Sakuno learned that the three girls and almost half of the class came from the same middle school. That's why it was already quite noisy when she entered the room. She was introduced to their other classmates and was glad to find out that they were very easy to get along with. They stopped talking when one of their classmates announced that their new teacher was coming and it was Tsukimiya Ringo-sensei. Sakuno then realized that she forgot to ask Tomoka about what happened in the school auditorium regarding Ringo-sensei. She decided to ask Eriko instead.

"Ano, Fuwa-san, do you know who Tsukimiya Ringo-sensei is exactly?"

"You can call me Eriko, Sakuno-san, I don't mind," she answered cheerfully before placing her hand below her chin to appear like she's contemplating on the answer."Hmm.. All I know is that Ringo-sensei is quite a popular idol. Even when he's right in front of us, you can't tell he's a man!"

"EHHHH? Ringo-sensei's a man!" Sakuno was dumbfounded. Her eyes were wide like saucers and her mouth was hanging open because she really couldn't believe what she just heard.

"B-but! She! H-he! A-ano! Ringo-sensei's too pretty to be a man!" she blurted out. The whole class just chuckled heartily at the words of the petite girl.

"Ara! You've never heard of me?" Sakuno was startled when she heard the subject of their conversation behind her, pouting and looking a bit hurt. She immediately bowed and apologized. It seemed that her face would never return to its original color since she was always put into embarrassing situations today.

"Well… I'll forgive you for not knowing about me because you complimented me," Ringo-sensei brightly smiled before continuing, "Now, now everyone! Please settle down!"

He stood in front of the class and wrote his name on the board with a heart at the end.

"Ohayou-puu! As you all know I'm in charge of one of the classes and insert drum roll please," he said and pointed at one of the students. The boy was confused as to what to do when Ringo-sensei glared at him. He tentatively started drumming his hands on his desk to improvise the drum roll their teacher was talking about. He breathed a sigh of relief when Ringo-sensei smiled sweetly at him and continued with his introduction. What a weird teacher.

"Ahem.. Again! I'm in charge of one of the classes here and guess what? You guys are the lucky ones to be in my homeroom class this year!" he announced complete with extravagant hand movements and a bit of dance choreography.

" You guys can call—okay that's enough drum rolling. Ara.. Where was I? Ah! Yes. You can call me Ringo-sensei. It's a pleasure to meet chu~!" he ended his 'speech' with a flying kiss and a wink and the students didn't know how to react so they opted to clapping their hands.

"Tsukimiya Ringo is a popular idol who cross dresses. He's not only known among the female population because some guys still fall for his looks. Ugh..He even has fairer skin than me!" Fuwa Eriko whispered to Sakuno. Sakuno couldn't help but laugh quietly at the comment.

"Don't worry, Eriko-san. I think Ringo-sensei's a lot prettier than most of us here," she smiled.

"You're absolutely right!" The short-haired girl agreed and they both giggled.

"I have a special project for everyone but before that I want you all to introduce yourselves!" the class groaned in response. Ringo-sensei waved his hand to dismiss their complaints.

"Oh come on, you should've expected something like this. Anyway, aside from the usual things you would tell us I want you to include the clubs you joined in your middle school. Let's start with you," he pointed at Sakuno who squeaked in surprise but still stood up immediately nonetheless. She walked up front while playing with the hem of her skirt. Her face flushed from her shy nature.

"A-ano.. I'm R-Ryuzaki Sakuno, 15 years old, from Seishun Gakuen. E-eto.. I joined the Tennis Club previously. Ahm.. It's a pleasure to meet you!" she bowed.

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><p>"Now then I hope everyone feels more acquainted with each other now because you guys are going to choose the class representatives," Ringo-sensei announced after every student finished introducing themselves.<p>

"Do you guys have anyone in mind or is someone willing to volunteer? Ah! Yes, Handa-san?" he called on the girl raising her hand.

"I would like to nominate Ryuzaki-san as one of the class representatives," she answered.

"EHHH?" Sakuno was so surprised because she wasn't the type to be nominated as a class rep since she's very timid and quiet during the first day.

"I think it's a great opportunity, Ryuzaki-san! Half of the class already knows each other because we're from the same middle school and this can help you talk with us more freely. And besides I think everyone would agree, right minna? "she encouraged and the class answered collectively with "yes" "yeah" "good idea".

'_These people are too kind and thoughtful_,' Sakuno can't help but smile at the new faces who gave her a chance to blend in. Handa Chise was the other class representative because none of the boys actually wanted to do the job and also because she didn't mind helping out Sakuno with the duties.

"Now that's settled I'm going to announce my own special project," Ringo-sensei said while clapping his hands enthusiastically. He took out a little book and showed it to the class. The front read 'Student Handbook'.

"Let's see here," he hummed while flipping the pages of the book until he found what he was looking for.

"One of the visions of the headmaster for this school is to help the students understand who they really are and what they really want to do when they finish high school as early as now," he said while pausing dramatically to wait for any reactions and when none of them said anything he glared at the poor student who was the one to give the unwilling drum roll for him. The said student gulped nervously before saying 'oohhh'. The other students followed suit but with a few laughter here and there because the whole thing was just ridiculous.

After being satisfied with the 'reaction', Ringo-sensei continued.

"You will be signing up for a club that you have never been a part of. Basically, I want every one of you to try out different clubs. For example, if you were a member of the music club in your middle school then you will join other clubs not related to that like the tennis club or the mathematics club. This special project will last until the end of the second term. Are there any questions?"

Sakuno tentatively raised her hand and it was a good thing her sensei saw her.

"Ryuzaki-san?" he pointed towards her.

"A-ano.. Sensei, are we still allowed to join the clubs that we like?"

"That's a nice question Ms. Class Rep. Of course you are still allowed to take part in the clubs you are engrossed in," he nodded.

"The real purpose of this project is to let you explore other things to do. Who knows you might even find out that you're a musical genius or probably the next baseball superstar?"

That's when the students gave a more natural reaction to the project. Some groaned in frustration because it would take a lot of their time if they joined another club aside from the club they're interested in while others were excited by the idea that they're going to learn something new about themselves.

"You guys better take this project seriously because I'm gonna ask the headmaster to include this in your grades," Ringo-sensei winked before walking out of the room signaling that homeroom was probably over.

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><p>The bell rang informing the students that lunch break has just started. With this in mind, Kikumaru Eiji couldn't help but stretch his arms and legs after sitting for years. Well, he's exaggerating but that's what he really felt like. He immediately jumped out of his chair towards his best friend.<p>

"Nya! Oishi let's get something to eat! I'm starving!" he whined while pretending to collapse on his desk. It was a good thing that Oishi had good reflexes because he was able to safely secure all his notebooks into his bag before the redhead could scatter them all on the floor.

"You're still hungry, Eiji? I saw you eating your bento during class though," his friend chuckled while he just sheepishly grinned for being caught.

"It was a good thing you were seated at the back or Tezuka would have scolded you," they both turned their heads to see the ever smiling face of the tensai, Fuji Syusuke.

"Oi Fujiko! Don't tell him! I don't want to run laps around the school during the first day!" he begged earning him a small chuckle from the brunette.

"By the way, where's Tezuka? I hadn't notice him since the last class before the bell rang," Oishi asked while looking around the classroom.

"Inui's gone too," Kikumaru commented.

"I think Sumire-san had something to talk to Tezuka about. Inui said he's gonna go ahead of us in the cafeteria. He's gonna meet up with Momo and Kaidoh if I recalled correctly," Fuji answered never noticing his friends cringe when they heard him call their coach 'Sumire'.

"I did tell Tezuka we'll be waiting for him at the cafeteria so let's get going," he added before walking towards the door. Kikumaru and Oishi immediately followed him.

On the way to the cafeteria the three Seigaku regulars were talking about the possible line-up for the next tournament and how many first years would be joining the club this year when Fuji paused on his tracks. Oishi also stopped to look at what had caught the eye of their friend while Kikumaru continued walking. Before he could even follow Fuji's line of vision the tensai spoke.

"Ah. I think I'll be going ahead of you two," he smiled and half-jogged past Kikumaru who called out to him.

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><p>"Yes. We'll get back to you," Ryuzaki Sumire ended the telephone conversation. She placed the receiver down before pinching the bridge of her nose. That was the fifth time that day that someone called asking for a practice match against their team.<p>

"For heaven's sake! It's only the first day of class!" she heaved a sigh of frustration. A few seconds later, she heard a few knocks on her door.

"Come in," she called out while trying to arrange the stack of papers that was on top of her desk. The calm and collected face of Tezuka Kunimitsu emerged from the doorway. He bowed politely at her before speaking.

"You wanted to speak with me, sensei?" he inquired to which their tennis coach responded with a nod.

"I received five phone calls today. All of them were requesting a practice match from us."

Tezuka did not say anything sensing that the old woman was not finished talking yet.

"It seems that the news of Ryoma studying back here circulated throughout the other schools and now they want to gauge just how much stronger our team will be," she rubbed her temples in annoyance.

Tezuka paused for a few seconds before commenting, "The membership sign-ups for this year haven't even started. This means that currently, Echizen is not an official member of the tennis club yet."

"That's what I told them. Anyway, we know he's going to join and sooner or later we have to approve the requests for a practice match. Here's the list of the schools that wanted to conduct the practice matches," she handed him a piece of paper. Tezuka took the paper and looked at the names of the schools on the list.

"I'm letting you decide on the matter," raising her hand dismissively "by the way, how's the first day so far?"

"There are a lot of freshmen this year but even so the opening ceremony ended without much of a fuss," he answered.

"I bet the only commotion was because of Ringo-sensei," she laughed while Tezuka only nodded in agreement. He was about to turn and leave when he heard her spoke again.

"I'd like to thank you again, Tezuka," the old woman said to which he raised his brows in confusion.

"For helping my granddaughter that time," she reminded him.

"It wasn't a problem, Ryuzaki-sensei."

"I know this isn't included in your duties but can I ask a favor from you?" The question caught him by surprise but of course he didn't show it on his face. He didn't say anything so that she would continue.

"Maybe this is just my old age or overprotective side talking but I hope you can also keep an eye on Sakuno. I'll leave her in your care for a while," she smiled.

Though the request was a bit unexpected the stoic captain of Seigaku still complied.

"Thank you, Tezuka. Off you go then! It's almost lunch break," she said while looking at her watch. Tezuka nodded and bowed before heading towards the door. Right after he stepped out of the room the bell for lunch break rang.

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><p>Tezuka Kunimitsu threaded towards the direction of the cafeteria since Fuji told him that they'll be waiting for him there. He spotted three third year students crowding the entrance to the cafeteria. Although they were from another section he still knew their names. Well not only their names but all the names of the third year students. They had their backs turned so they could not see him approaching them. He was about to pass through them when he heard a part of their conversation.<p>

"Wow! There sure are a lot of cute freshmen this year!"

"Yeah! We hit jackpot this year my friends!"

"I bet I can get one of them to be my girlfriend in just a week! There! That girl with the freakishly long braids."

After hearing that Tezuka immediately cleared his throat to get their attention. When they turned their heads, he greeted them with piercing eyes. Two of them silently stepped back but it seemed that the other one had a lot of nerve. He even put a hand over his shoulder.

"Ohayou, Tezuka-san. Don't you think there are a lot of cute freshmen this year?" he asked while wiggling his eyebrows.

"I don't ponder over such trivial things," Tezuka remarked before removing the hand off his shoulder. He then proceeded towards the cafeteria but stopped again when that guy spoke again.

"Che. Still pretending to be the perfect student. Come on guys. I still need to introduce myself to that first ye-" before the third year could even finish his statement Tezuka had silenced him with an icy glare. His piercing eyes plus the coldness in his glare was enough to shut anyone up in that situation.

"What's going on?" They all turned towards the voice and saw Fuji walking towards them. The three third years averted their eyes from the two tennis players and made their way inside the cafeteria but the arrogant one was still fuming over how he was silence by Tezuka's glare.

"Nothing," Tezuka replied coolly hoping that the he hadn't heard anything. He thought so for a few seconds until Fuji spoke.

"Really? I could've sworn I heard something interesting."

Tezuka continued being silent since talking about what happened would only increase the interest of his best friend but it seemed that the plan didn't work since Fuji was already giving out hints that he heard it.

"Ah. It looks like those guys are still going on with their plan," Fuji said and pointed towards the line in the cafeteria. Tezuka looked and saw that the three students were making their way towards the familiar figure of Ryuzaki Sakuno. It seemed that his silent warning didn't get through their thick skulls so he swiftly followed them never minding the chuckles he heard from Fuji. He really wasn't expecting to fulfill their coach's request just minutes after he accepted it. He quickly passed by the three guys and stood right behind Sakuno who wasn't aware of what was happening. They finally understood what he meant by that glare but even so they still spat out colorful insults before heading towards the opposite direction.

"I'm amazed they can still talk in front of you after glaring at them like that, Tezuka," Fuji commented when he stood beside Tezuka.

"Hn," was the only reply he gave when Sakuno finally turned to look at them.

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><p>Sakuno was patiently waiting in line for her turn to get food from the cafeteria. She was a bit frustrated with herself for leaving her bentou at home. She looked to her right and saw Tomoka and her three new friends sitting at the same table. She was glad that they also got along well with each other. Sensing that she was looking they all turned their heads and waved at her. She also waved back glad that she met such friendly people. Her mind was completely preoccupied that she didn't notice that there was some sort of commotion behind her. It was only when she heard familiar voices that she turned her head to look.<p>

"Tezuka-senpai! Fuji-senpai!" she said in surprise before bowing her head immediately.

"Hello there, Ryuzaki," Fuji greeted the first year who smiled at them brightly. Their little meeting was interrupted when all of a sudden a piece of pudding came flying towards them. The trajectory of the pudding indicated that it would certainly hit Sakuno but Tezuka had immediately stepped in front of her blocking her from the flying dessert and instead smashing right into his uniform. The entire cafeteria grew dead silent and the only sound that can be heard would be the pudding coming off his shirt and landing on the floor with a 'splat'.

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><p>"Oi Mamushi! That's my pudding!" Takeshi Momoshiro glared at Kaidoh Kaoru when he saw him reaching for the pudding across the table.<p>

"Fsshh..Hah? Are you blind porcupine head? This is mine!" Kaidoh retorted while looking at him with narrowed eyes.

"What did you say huh?" Momo shouted and grabbed his shirt collar. Kaidoh did the same while 'fssh'-ing the entire time.

"You're blind and deaf, idiot!"

"Shut up you viper freak!"

"It's so noisy," Ryoma complained while taking a bit off another pudding he saw on the table. He didn't bother asking whose pudding that was since they were both busy arguing and when that happened only a few people could stop them.

"If you two want dessert that much I'll let you taste one of my new creations," Inui Sadaharu suggested while holding a glass of unidentified liquid. Three heads turned to look at the said creation and immediately turned green when they saw it. They couldn't even identify what color it is since it changes after a few seconds from red to blue to green.

"It's called Marvelous Surprise Excellent Inui Shake. It's a colder version of Marvelous Surprise Inui Juice Excellent," he said while holding it out towards the two second years. Momo and Kaidoh both sweat-dropped and immediately let go of each other.

"Ha..haha.. There's no need,senpai. Mamushi can have my pudding," Momo nervously laughed.

"No thanks," Kaidoh shoved the pudding back to Momo.

"I said eat it!"

"I said I don't want it!"

"Just shut up and take it, bandana freak!"

"I don't need it, porcupine!"

"Oh. Then the one who doesn't have dessert can have this instead," Inui's glasses shone brightly after saying those words. Momo and Kaidoh began arguing again on who's going to eat the pudding after hearing their senpai's words.

"It's mine!"

"You gave it to me, idiot!"

"I take it back!"

"Let go!"

"I don't wa-"before Momo could finish his sentence the pudding slipped from their hands and headed towards the line in the cafeteria. They both felt their lifespan shorten by half when they saw the unlucky person who got hit by the pudding. Momo gulped nervously feeling faint at what had just transpired while Kaidoh was sweating profusely and his knees shaking in fear.

'_This is bad! Very bad!'_ they both thought when they saw their buchou looking at their direction.

A vein had popped in Tezuka's head and before he could even take a step towards his teammates' table a small hand had gripped the sleeve of his uniform. He looked down and saw Sakuno holding out a handkerchief in front of her.

"A-ano! T-thank you for saving me, Tezuka-senpai and e-eto.. I'm really sorry, senpai! My bad luck might have rub off on you! I'm really sorry!" she said while bowing really low. She was clearly blaming herself for the accident which took Tezuka by surprise.

"It wasn't your fault, Ryuzaki," Tezuka told the girl wondering why on earth would she think that this was all her fault.

"B-but senpa-"

"Ryuzaki," hearing his tone of voice she looked up and saw his senpai shake his head. Tezuka then patted her head and accepted the handkerchief that she offered. He was thinking how self-blaming could this girl be. Maybe this is one of the reasons why her grandmother asked him to look after her aside from her being a _bit _clumsy and directionally challenged. Instead of heading to Momoshiro and Kaidoh, Tezuka merely stepped towards the exit of the cafeteria.

Fuji watched the entire scene unfold in front of his eyes and he couldn't help but smile. This was actually the first time their buchou didn't immediately execute the punishment for Momoshiro and Kaidoh's behavior.

'_He's probably thinking up of a terrifying punishment for them later,'_ he mused and chuckled to himself.

"Ohh.. So even the stoic student council president could act like that in front of a lady," Tsukimiya Ringo commented startling the tennis prodigy along the way. Fuji was surprised to see him standing nearby. It was actually one of those rare moments that someone had actually managed to surprise him because he was after all, a really observant person.

"Don't you think so too, Fuji-kun?" he smiled sweetly at the brunette who also smiled in return. Fuji cautiously took a step away from the teacher. He can never be too careful since he knows that Ringo-sensei was a bit like him. He was also very observant. Their main difference was that Fuji would be the type to silently observe people and then throw in a few comments of his own while Ringo-sensei, on the other hand, would observe people as well as interact with them at the same time. Let's just say that he moves a bit discreetly while this teacher wouldn't look like he's observing you at all.

"Maybe," he answered while catching a glimpse of Sakuno who was still looking at Tezuka's retreating back.

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><p><strong>つづく<strong>

**To Be Continued**

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><p><strong>AN**: If you guys don't know Tsukimiya Ringo-sensei is from Uta no Prince Sama. Also if there's anything wrong please don't hesitate to tell me! I haven't proofread this yet so there's bound to be some mistakes.

Please drop in a review! I would really appreciate it! :)


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** After a month and a few weeks of dealing with writer's block I present to you the fourth chapter! Believe it or not staying inside the shower for a longer period of time helped me come up with some interesting ideas.

The only difficult part is that all this inspiration to write hit me a day BEFORE our major examination period (-_- ').

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><p><strong>Sketchy Flavors of Love<strong>

**by: hikao-chan**

**Chapter 4**

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><p>.<p>

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"There's a 16.67% chance that Tezuka's going to make you run laps as punishment."

"Ahh! I don't want to listen anymore, Inui-senpai!"

"And another 16.67% chance that you will be helping the first years in cleaning up after practice for at least two weeks or a month at most."

"Fshh.. What are the other probabilities, senpai?"

"16.67% chance that your punishment is going to be related to the membership driv-"

"Stop asking anything, Mamushi!"

"I wasn't talking to you, Porcupine!"

"And a 49.5% chance that both of you are going to do all of those things. That's 99.96%."

"Huh? Shouldn't everything equate to 100%, senpai?"

"You're right, Momo. I'm going to suggest to Tezuka that you guys will be the first to taste my new creation and the remaining .04% is him accepting this proposition," Inui replied before adjusting his glasses. Momoshiro and Kaidoh eyed him warily and took a step away from the data man. They continued walking towards Ryuzaki-sensei's office with the two sophomores dragging their feet along the way. The reason for this act was their buchou told them that they will be having a meeting right after class ended.

"Do you have any idea what the meeting is about, Inui-senpai? Aside from discussing our punishment," Momo added the last part unenthusiastically.

"Fshh… I wouldn't be worrying about something like this if it wasn't for someone's stupidity," Kaidoh muttered under his breath earning him a glare from the power player.

"To answer your question, Momo, yes, I do have an idea about this meeting. Also, there's a 95% chance that if you start fighting now Tezuka will hear all of it and come up with a harsher punishment than what I've told you a while ago," Inui said once they reached their destination. He knocked a few times before opening the door revealing the familiar faces inside.

Coach Ryuzaki was busy talking with Tezuka who was listening attentively while Oishi and Kikumaru were discussing something at the corner of the room.

"We just have to wait for Fuji and Kawamura before we start the meeting," their coach announced upon seeing their arrival. The three of them took their seats and waited.

"Nya! I heard you guys did something today, Momo." Eiji teased them his cat-like eyes twinkling in amusement. Momoshiro refused to glance at their buchou's direction and prayed that he didn't hear what his redhead senpai just said.

"Mou, Eiji-senpai give me break! I'm trying to not wet my pants from all this nervousness about our punishment," Momoshiro complained as he hung his head low feeling down about the entire predicament.

Kikumaru stifled a laugh at his reaction but immediately straightened up when Oishi gave him a disapproving look. A few minutes passed by until the door opened with Fuji and Kawamura emerging from the doorway.

"Ah! Gomen minna! One of our teachers kept us in the faculty room," Kawamura apologized while scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. Fuji politely bowed at their coach and took a seat next to Kikumaru.

"Now that everyone is here. We're going to talk about the upcoming club membership sign-ups next week. Tezuka will be the one to discuss the details and I expect all of you to comply with some of the decisions. If you have any complaints just speak up," Ryuzaki Sumire said and allowed the famous stoic captain to continue on with the meeting.

Tezuka nodded at their coach before clearing his throat.

"This club registration period will last for three days. The student council already made plans of putting up booths at the gym for all the clubs. Inui, Oishi and I came up with the division of the work," he stated pausing for a few seconds to see if there was any objection. When no one dared to say anything he continued.

"Just like the previous registrations the regulars will be the ones responsible for this. Fuji, Kikumaru and Momoshiro will be manning the booth. Kawamura,Kaidoh and Oishi will watch over the training of the non-regular members. Inui will overlook all of your duties because I will not be able to due to student council responsibilities. This however does not mean that I will not drop by from time to time to check. I expect you to not slack off and let your guard down. Do I make myself clear?" he said in an authoritative tone. His teammates collectively nodded in response to his announcement. Coach Ryuzaki just smirked at her students. Leave it up to Tezuka to discipline this rowdy bunch. She then told them about the start of their tennis practice and a few other club-related things. The meeting only lasted for about half an hour, much to Momoshiro's delight.

"Kaidoh, Momoshiro," Tezuka called out to the two young men who were about to leave the room. If they thought that they wouldn't incur any punishment for their behavior earlier this afternoon then they're dead wrong.

"Three hundred laps around the courts this week and two weeks of cleaning duty after practice," he told them and turned to make his exit. The pair both heaved a sigh of relief after hearing their punishment. It wasn't so bad now, was it?

Their relief was very short lived though because Inui suddenly approached their captain. They already knew what he was going to say and prayed to all the gods and spirits that they knew of to help them with this situation. But, it seemed that the gods weren't in their favor today because they saw their buchou nod at their senpai's horrible request. When the data man looked back at them his glasses were twinkling rather menacingly and the two shivered uncomfortably.

"I can never accurately gather data about Tezuka," he said in a false disappointed tone but his grin contradicted it.

Kaidoh felt his gaze darken at the thought of tasting those damned drinks. Momoshiro, on the other hand, slumped down on the floor with his knees shaking from imagining the unpleasant fate that awaits them tomorrow. Kikumaru just then tried to pass through the doorway when Momoshiro suddenly clung to his leg pleading for mercy.

"Eiji-senpai! Help me! I'm going to die!"

"Eh? What's wrong, Momo?"

"Oh, Eiji. Are you also interested in being the first to try out my new Inui Jui-

"Nya! NO! I'm sorry but I have to refuse your offer, Inui!"

"Saa, Eiji. Inui's drinks are actually very delicious you know," Fuji joined in their conversation.

"You're the only one who thinks so, Fujiko!"

"Eiji-senpai!" Momoshiro cried out as he sees Inui eagerly writing something on his notebook.

"Gomen, Momo! I can't help you with this one, nya!"

"What's going on?" a very clueless Kawamura asked.

"Taka-sa-"

"It's nothing, Taka-san. By the way, didn't you say your father wanted you to go home early?" Fuji interrupted Momo and tried distracting Kawamura since he knew Kawamura is one of the kind people who can help Kaidoh and Momoshiro out of this predicament. Yes, their resident sadist was having fun right now so he's doing his best to lengthen this discussion.

"Ah! You're right, Fuji! I have to go! See you guys tomorrow!" Kawamura dashed off into the hallway.

"Is there something wrong?" a very concerned Oishi approached them. He shifted his gaze from Kaidoh who was blankly staring off into space with the color of his face drained to Momoshiro who was helplessly clinging on to Kikumaru's leg to Kikumaru who was giving the latter a look of pity to Inui who was grinning while writing on his notebook and lastly to Fuji who had his eyes closed while smiling brightly.

Upon realizing that he was being watched, Fuji innocently gazed back at Oishi in return as if telling him he wasn't plotting anything. Well, not yet anyway.

Oishi deeply sighed at the scene. He now had a hunch as to what is happening. Being the mother hen in their team, he promised Momo and Kaidoh that he will try talk to Tezuka about this while trying hard not to offend Inui and his creations.

"Thank you so much, Oishi-senpai!" Momo almost cried tears of happiness while Kaidoh finally regained his senses and gave a grateful look to their vice-captain. They all started chattering normally and by normally it also meant clamorously. Just then a loud voice startled them all.

"EVERYONE OF YOU JUST GO HOME ALREADY!"Coach Ryuzaki bellowed in annoyance. Her patience was already running thin from all the noise they were making. They muttered their apologies in a hurried breath and quickly scrambled out of the room.

'_These kids probably forgot that they were still inside my office!'_ she silently fumed a few seconds after they had left. She then rubbed her temples before plopping down on her seat to finish all her paperwork.

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><p>"Ne Sakuno, have you picked out which club you're going to join?"<p>

Sakuno turned her head towards her best friend before contemplating about an answer.

"I'm still undecided about that," she confessed. She really had no idea what to choose. Today was the start of the club registrations and they were currently on their way to the gymnasium to check out all of the clubs.

"What about you?"

"I'm planning to join the Home Economics club since I'm really good at cooking and baking and I want to improve more."

"That's great, Tomo-chan! I'm sure you'll be able to do it!"

"I know right?" Tomoka grinned while Sakuno just happily smiled in return. They continued actively chatting about their first week in school and other stuff when Tomoka suddenly exclaimed.

"Ahhh!"

"Are you alright, Tomo-chan?"

"Sorry! I forgot something at our classroom! You can go ahead and I'll just catch up!" Tomoka ran back without waiting for her reply. Sakuno just shook her head while quietly laughing at her friend's action. It was so like her to do something like that.

She carried on threading towards the direction of the gym. She abruptly turned around a corner and bumped into someone along the way. She lost her balance and was about to fall backwards when a pair of steady hands quickly pulled her back. Her face was now pressed to the firm chest of the person who caught her in time. She looked up to see clear hazel eyes behind glasses staring right at her. It took her a few moments to recognize just who she was clinging on to and a millisecond for her brain to register how they looked like right now. Her hands were gripping the front of Tezuka's uniform while his were lightly placed on her waist.

They promptly let go of each other and took a few steps apart. It was a good thing that the corridor was empty during this time or that little scene might start some rumors. Sakuno was the first one to break the awkward silence between them.

"A-a-ano! Gomenasai, T-T-Tezuka-senpai! I w-wasn't p-paying attention t-to where I w-was heading," she apologized and bowed profusely while mentally scolding herself for being such a stuttering mess. The last time she horribly stuttered like this was back in her middle school days.

"There's no harm done," Tezuka assured her. When she continued fumbling with the hem of her skirt and gazing down at the floor, he decided to change the topic in an attempt to ease her worry.

"Where were you headed?"

"E-eto, to the gymnasium for the c-club registrations," she shyly replied and blushed when he gave her a confused look. Did she just say something wrong?

"Ano…"

"I believe you're headed the wrong direction."

"Hai?"

"The gym is this way," he pointed to the opposite direction from where she was previously headed to. Her face then became a hundred times redder than before.

'_Mou! I can't believe this! I must look like a total idiot right now',_ she silently cried out feeling her eyes getting watery every second. This was just too embarrassing.

The bespectacled young man saw her reaction and misinterpreted as him offending her in some way. The famous stoic captain might look calm and collected right now but deep inside, really really really deep inside, he was quite agitated and frantic on how he's going to fix his mistake. He pushed his glasses up and cleared his throat to catch her attention. Her eyes flickered towards him and Tezuka felt even guiltier at what he had done after seeing her tear-stricken eyes.

"I'm going to the gym as well," he walked towards that direction and turned back to see her still standing in the same spot.

'_She didn't seem to get my hint,'_ he thought.

Tezuka gestured for her to follow along and that was when she finally understood what he meant. They walked side by side staying quiet all throughout. When they reached the gymnasium there were a lot of students crowding the different booths set up by the clubs. Seigaku's Tennis Club was one of the booths that can be found near the entrance so it only took a few seconds for the members to see their buchou entering the doors along with a girl they were all quite acquainted with.

"Tezuka! Ryuzaki-chan! Over here!" Kikumaru enthusiastically called out to them earning a smile from the girl and the usual calm stare from their buchou.

"Is everything going well?" Tezuka asked.

"Hai. We got about ten applications so far," Fuji was the one to answer while Eiji showed him the filled out forms. Fuji and Tezuka went about the different tasks at hand while Momoshiro focused his attention to the petite brunette beside Tezuka.

"Are you looking for Ryoma?" he grinned and wiggled his brows at her. The question caught Sakuno off guard but she managed to reply.

"Eto, I wasn't, Momo-senpai," she answered trying to stop the blush of her cheeks from appearing.

"Are you sure?" he said not believing her words.

"I think he's headed this way, nya!" Eiji joined in after hearing their conversation and pointed towards the figure of Ryoma coming their way holding his favorite drink in his hand. They didn't know about the change of feelings that the girl has for the said tennis prince. What they also didn't know was that Tezuka was observing what they were doing from the corner of his eyes even though he was talking to Fuji at the moment. Tezuka also noticed that Sakuno was feeling quite uncomfortable with the situation from the way she played with her fingers.

"Momoshiro! Eiji! 10 laps!" he sanctioned surprising his teammates. Fuji merely chuckled at the sight because he already had a hunch that Tezuka wasn't just paying attention to their discussion.

"EH? What did I do? Ny-" Kikumaru whined but stopped midway when Tezuka sent him a look. Momoshiro was also quite speechless still not understanding what they did to get a punishment from their buchou. They both started running the laps so that they could get it over with and ask their resident tensai to explain to them why they were given such punishment. Sakuno was also baffled by her senpai's actions but did not dare question it.

"Why are Kikumaru-senpai and Momo-senpai running laps?" Ryoma asked in a bored tone while looking at their retreating figures. He sipped his drink and looked at Fuji for some answers. The tensai just smiled and shrugged his shoulders before conversing with Sakuno.

"Ryuzaki."

"Hai, Fuji-senpai?"

"Have you already joined a club?"

"Ah! I completely forgot!"

"Saa, you should get going then," he suggested ignoring the look Tezuka was giving him for discreetly shooing away the first year. His reason was because he didn't want any interaction between Ryoma and Sakuno as of the moment especially after seeing that little scene between Tezuka and Sakuno at the corridor. It was a good thing that the two of them didn't notice him watching them from the end of the hallway.

"Ah.. Hai!" she replied completely oblivious about it and bid goodbye to Ryoma, Fuji and lastly, Tezuka.

"Eto… Thanks again for everything, Tezuka-senpai," she faced her bespectacled senpai. Tezuka simply nodded at her words. She then bowed her head before scurrying off to find her friends.

"Ne, senpaitachi. Where do I get a sign-up form?" Ryoma asked both of them.

Tezuka handed him a form before checking out the other booths as the student council president. He was already few steps away from them when he spoke.

"Fuji. 20 laps."

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><p><strong>つづく<strong>

**To Be Continued**

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><p>.<p>

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**A/N:** It's some sort of a filler chapter? OTL Don't worry! The next one's going to be all about TezuSaku, I swear! Thank you for all the reviews and story alerts!


	5. Chapter 5: The Fleeting Moment

**A/N:** Thank you so much for those who reviewed and added this story to their list! I just have to say that all your reviews are what keep me going _literally_! And omg… the date in the fic is already approaching in real life so I have no more excuse to postpone the updates if I want this to work… XD

Tezuka Ayana- Tezuka's mom

Tezuka Kuniharu- Tezuka's dad

Tezuka Kunikazu- Tezuka's grandfather

**Disclaimer:** We all know I don't own PoT right?

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><p><strong>Sketchy Flavors of Love<strong>

**by: hikao-chan**

**Chapter 5**

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><p>.<p>

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Light footsteps were the only sounds that could be heard in one of the corridors of Seigaku. Classes had ended half an hour ago and most of the students were already passing through the school gates and heading to the confines of their respective homes. This, however, did not apply to a certain bespectacled brunette who was checking his planner for any important meetings or errands that he had for this week and the next. He was always too preoccupied with his responsibilities as student council president and the tennis club's captain that he did not have enough time to even check his planner. He silently wondered if keeping something like this would actually be of help to him. He wrote in a few things he had to do regarding the membership drive that happened last week. Everything went smoothly and now he only had to write in a report and give it to the adviser of the student council.

Tezuka Kunimitsu stopped short of his walk towards their coach's office when his gaze fell on the date tomorrow. April 25. He scanned the page for any clue as to why he had encircled it. A few seconds passed before he remembered the conversation he had with his relatives a month before.

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><p>"Is that alright with you, Kunimitsu-kun?" Tezuka Ayana asked her son.<p>

Being the good son that he is, Tezuka simply nodded at his mother's question. They were currently having dinner when Tezuka's parents announced their plans to go on a trip this coming April. They were too busy with their work that they didn't have enough time to go on a vacation so it was a good opportunity. The duration of their trip also coincided with Golden Week* so there are lesser problems to worry about.

"If you're all going then I want to go back to my hometown for a while too. My old friends kept on pestering me to visit them ever since they learned to use these things," Tezuka Kunikazu, his grandfather, said while holding out a cell phone in his hand.

"When are you planning to go back, father?" Tezuka Kuniharu, his father, asked before drinking from his glass of water.

"I'll go on the 25th as well," Kunikazu replied.

"But father, if that happens then Kunimitsu-kun will be the only one here," Ayana exclaimed in a worried tone.

"Ha? I thought you were all going on a trip?"

It was then that Tezuka decided to intervene.

"I'll be alright, mother. I can take care of myself so there's no need to worry. There are only a few things to do at school and at club practices by then," he explained trying to let them come to terms with their plans. His father gave him an appreciative smile before they continued discussing. It took a while but everything was finally settled. Well, almost.

Tezuka was washing the dishes in the kitchen when his mother came in and stood beside him. Without saying a word she grabbed a dry cloth and began wiping the cutleries that he finished washing.

"I know you can take care of yourself, Kunimitsu-kun," she started "but it would lessen my worries if someone could check on you from time to time."

Tezuka didn't say anything because he knew she wasn't finished talking.

"So… I asked Coach Ryuzaki to do it and she said she'd be glad to. Her house isn't that far away from ours so there's no problem," she faced him waiting for his reaction.

Tezuka raised his brows after hearing her decision.

"I won't let my guard down," he argued. Sure they were going to be gone for almost a month but even so he's not an irresponsible son that someone had to watch over him.

"I know you won't but I also know that you would be too busy with school that you'll even forget to eat dinner. Don't give me that look young man. I have legitimate reasons for that. Remember the last time we left and only you and your grandfather were here?" she stressed giving him a stern motherly look.

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><p>Back to the present, Tezuka sighed before closing his planner and putting it back in his bag. He agreed to his mother's plans but that doesn't mean that he was ecstatic about it. He'll just do what he has to do and not be a burden to his coach. He continued walking until he reached his destination. He knocked on one of the doors waiting for an answer.<p>

A few seconds passed by until he heard Coach Ryuzaki's voice telling him to come in.

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><p>"Any questions?" Tsukimiya Ringo inquired looking at the faces of the arts club members who were listening to his explanation.<p>

"I guess this means that everything's okay. I'll see you guys tomorrow. Oh and before I forget, I suggest you guys all head straight home. There's been reports of increasing gang fights so be careful," he warned them and sauntered towards the door.

Sakuno waved goodbye to some of her fellow club members including her classmate, Handa Chise. She had finally decided to join the arts club for their homeroom project and was glad that she knew at least one person. It didn't take long for her to get to know the others because everyone was very friendly and the topics of all their conversations usually interested her. It was comforting to know that she made such good friends in a short amount of time. Everything was going pretty well for her first week but after their adviser's announcement, she wondered if she made the right choice. She dawdled for a few more minutes inside the room oblivious to the fact that she was the only person left. Her gaze landed on the small notebook she was holding. She scanned the contents and couldn't help but heave a huge sigh.

It was about the major project that their club was going to do for the cultural festival. Apparently, each member had to find a model who was someone they know except for fellow club members and relatives, someone who was older or younger and someone you admire, respect, like or any other emotion just as long as you feel strongly for them. She already thought about how to ask her best friend to become the model. Everything would've been fine if those were the only criteria but their adviser suddenly blurted out that it had to be someone from the opposite sex. When asked for an explanation, he merely said that it would be a challenge to draw or paint someone from the opposite sex because you aren't that familiar with their anatomy. It would pose some challenge to their skills and their adviser could give out some tips on how they could improve their work. Other club members did not have any problem with this but for Sakuno it spelled out bad news. She only had a handful of friends and most of them were girls. Heaving another sigh she packed her belongings and decided to go to her grandmother's office. She was planning on telling her grandmother to go home first because she was going to buy some art materials for this project.

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><p>Ryuzaki Sumire rubbed her temples as an attempt to somehow ease her headache but it only ended in vain.<p>

"Ryuzaki-sensei?" It was her pupil's voice that brought her attention back to the matter on hand.

"What were we talking about again?" she asked.

Tezuka noted the troubled look on his coach's face so he decided to cut short their meeting for now.

"I can talk to Oishi about the rest, sensei," he said earning a chuckle from the old woman.

"Well, I'll take you up on that offer then. This blasted headache is really taking a toll on me. Must be because I'm getting older," she smiled ruefully before standing up.

"Ah. If I remember correctly, your relatives will be gone on a vacation starting tomorrow, right?" she suddenly remarked.

"Ye-"

A small knock from the door interrupted their conversation. Since Tezuka was standing near the door, he volunteered to open it. From the doorway emerged Sakuno who was clearly surprised to see him.

"A-ano! Good afternoon, senpai!" she said and bowed her head.

"Aa." He nodded in response to her greeting. He stepped to the side so that she could enter the room.

"Thank you," she murmured softly before pacing towards her grandmother.

"Obaa-cha-"she abruptly stopped upon seeing her grandmother's features.

"Obaa-chan, are you alright?"

"Of course I am."

"B-but…"

"There's no need to get worked up over nothing, Sakuno. Your grandmother might be old but I'm a lot stronger than most people my age," she reassured her and smiled. She looked a lot paler and the forced smile on her lips only made Sakuno further doubt her grandmother's words.

"So, what do you have right there?" Sumire gestured to the piece of paper in her hands.

"Ah. It's nothing. Are you finished with your meeting?" Sakuno asked and hid the piece of paper where the list of art materials was written behind her back. She also stole a quick glance at her senpai not wanting to offend him with her question only to find out that he was also looking her way. She instantly looked away and prayed that she wasn't blushing for being caught. She always found herself staring at her senpai in the most unexpected moments.

Just then the door suddenly burst open showing an annoyed Ryoma, a smiling Fuji and a grinning Kikumaru and Momoshiro.

"We're sorry for the intrusion," Fuji bowed and apologized for their behavior yet his face still showed the smile he always wore.

"What brings all of you here?" Sumire asked instead. Tezuka was the only one she was expecting to meet this afternoon so it was quite a surprise to see the lot of them here especially after class hours.

"We wanted to ask about the ranking selection," Momoshiro said and wiggled his brows at his redhead senpai.

"Since ochibi here is so excited to be part of the regulars again, nya!" Eiji continued and nudged the irritated first year with his elbow.

"I didn't say something like that, _senpai_," Ryoma emphasized the honorific before pulling down his cap to hide his scowl. He then turned his attention to the other first year inside the room. When his senpai-tachi opened the door, the first thing he saw was their buchou looking at a blushing Sakuno and it made him instinctively narrow his eyes. What was their captain's deal anyway? It wasn't the first time he saw him looking at her like that. His mood seemed to drop even lower upon realizing that it wasn't his business and he shouldn't really care about these sorts of things.

"Saa, Echizen nothing's wrong with asking the schedule of the ranking selections you know," Fuji interrupted his train of thought. The tensai's smile grew wider when he saw the first year stealing glances at Sakuno. _Interesting._

Sakuno fidgeted with the paper behind her back when she saw Ryoma looking her way. He was frowning at her and she silently wondered if she did anything wrong to upset the tennis prince. She became too preoccupied with her thoughts about Ryoma's unusual behavior that she didn't notice her hand loosening its hold on the piece of paper. It fell to the floor and before she could pick it up another hand beat her to it.

"Nya! You dropped something, Ryuzaki!"

"Ohoh..What's that?" Momoshiro took a step beside Kikumaru and intentionally glanced at Ryoma to pique the first year's curiosity. It ended in vain, of course, because Ryoma just looked at the other way.

"Ah! Ano! Thank you for picking it up, Kikumaru-senpai," she said when he handed her the piece of paper.

"Art supplies?" Fuji raised a brow when he caught a glimpse of what was written on it.

"Eto… I wanted to buy some m-materials before going home b-but I can always go to the shopping district some other time because obaa-chan and I are planning to go home early," she explained clearly stressing that her grandmother's health mattered to her more than some art supplies. Ryuzaki Sumire, however, did not share the same thoughts.

"I can perfectly go home on my own but I'm not so sure about letting you go alone especially after all those reports about gang fights in the district," she said and put on a thoughtful look.

"Oh! Echizen ca-" their sophomore power player suddenly perked up but was cut off when Fuji placed a hand on his shoulder.

"That can be solved, Sumire-chan."

Their old coach glared at him because of the way he addressed her. Leave it to Seigaku's resident tensai to effectively come up with a plan to get someone's attention. He continued smiling innocently while brushing off the silent threats behind their coach's icy look.

"How?"

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><p>Sakuno found herself threading the path towards the shopping district with Tezuka calmly walking beside her. She didn't want to bother anyone with her personal errands but everyone knows that if you add her grandmother's stubborn streak and Fuji-senpai's interference it would immediately equate to her losing the debate. It's not like she had a chance to win in the first place because her grandmother beat her when it comes to being hard-headed once she has decided on something.<p>

The sun was already setting when they reached an intersection in the road while its rays casted vibrant hues of red, orange and pink around their surroundings. Her gaze then darted to their shadows in front of them. She took note of the difference between their heights and contemplated just how tall her senpai had become during the years she hadn't seen him. Instinctively, her eyes flickered to the figure beside her only to be startled when he also turned towards her direction. She quickly lifted her head up and pretended to look at the wispy clouds above.

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><p>Tezuka adjusted the strap of his bag over his shoulder while taking subtle sideway glances at his companion. He silently thought about the reasons behind Fuji's actions a while ago. Apparently, the brunette had a suggestion to help their coach but he wasn't expecting that he was included in it. Fuji reasoned out that they could accompany their coach until they reached their house because the fast-food chain that they were planning to go to was near the area. Despite the rational explanation, Tezuka doubted his intention especially after seeing that the people involved weren't even aware of their so-called plans. Eiji's surprised look and Momoshiro's delighted expression was enough proof that. Fuji didn't stop there. He also brought up their earlier conversation during lunch time when Tezuka shared his plans to purchase a new grip tape and said that everything was perfectly set-up and that their coach didn't have to worry about anything.<p>

He really didn't understand what was going on in his friend's mind. Why was he so eager to make him accompany their coach's granddaughter? Fuji should've just asked him straight on because he would agree with it anyway. He wasn't against the suggestion for he didn't particularly like the idea of Sakuno wandering the streets alone. It reminded him of the time he saw her in front her house dripping wet and looking so broken. He justified his thoughts with the reason that he considered her to be like a little sister to him and their coach left her under his care. He didn't even notice that he was clenching his fists tightly until he felt someone looking at him.

He turned to his left and caught the center of his thoughts gazing at him and quickly looking away when their eyes met. He observed that they were having a lot of these moments lately. Their eyes would suddenly meet and she would always be the first one to break the connection. He shifted his attention back on the road but from the corner of his eye he could still see her gazing at the sky with slightly flushed cheeks. His features softened at the sight and a ghost of a smile passed through his lips for a fleeting moment.

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><p><strong>AN:** Heh. It took 5 chapters to actually introduce the main plot and stuff. I have two chapters written up in advanced so I hope that's enough valid reason for the huge gap in my updates.

Internet cookie for your thoughts (are there any errors or are the characters OOC and stuff)? ;D

Golden Week in Japan refers to the collection of national holidays from the end of April (April 29 I think) up to around May 5th. This is not only one of the longest holiday periods, but one of the most popular as well.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Thanks for all the wonderful reviews, faves and subscriptions last chapter! I am really happy with the feedback. :D

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><p><strong>Sketchy Flavors of Love<strong>

**by: hikao-chan**

**Chapter 6**

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><p>.<p>

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The sound of the door chime announced the arrival of a new customer into a certain shop. The three store clerks whipped their heads to the entrance and saw two high school students enter: a tall handsome lad wearing glasses and a petite girl with twin braids.

Sakuno's attention was mainly focused on the art materials that were displayed in the shelves. It was her first time stepping inside this arts and crafts store and she was definitely fascinated by the sight. She glanced back at her senpai not wanting to be rude by darting off into the store and completely forgetting his presence. When he gave her a curt nod, she immediately perked up and smiled brightly in return before heading to the rows of colorful paint cans neatly stacked atop each other. She was assisted by one of the store clerks. A young boy roughly the same age as she was.

Tezuka made his way around the shop alternating between looking at the things that caught his attention and observing Sakuno's movements. He had seen stores like this before but he rarely went inside since he wasn't the artistic type of guy. The only time he recalled ever setting foot on these premises involved checking up the material for decorations that would be useful to the student council during school events. He continued scanning the shelves that consisted of knitting tools, kite-making materials, colorful beads, buttons and other art related stuff.

His gaze drifted back to his little companion and saw her hand a piece of paper to the store attendant. He brushed off the image of that person's hand making contact with Sakuno's as purely coincidental but after the fifth time that he saw it happen again he found himself walking towards their direction.

Sakuno felt someone behind her and quickly turned around to see Tezuka standing about two feet away from her while looking at the employee who was assisting her. This made her visibly relax and her tense shoulders began to fall back as a sign of relief. She felt quite thankful for his presence because she really didn't have any idea on how to handle her current situation. Although the young man was very helpful in finding the materials that she was looking for she did not like the way his hand would linger on hers and the relatively close proximity between them. He was generally good-looking but that would not be enough to perk up our protagonist's interest. She only offered her kind smiles of gratitude for his help but it never crossed her mind that he would misinterpret her actions. She had taken a few steps away but he had still managed to cross her personal space and she was feeling bothered by it.

Tezuka noticed that the boy was deliberately holding her hand far longer than what is normal during every opportunity that he had. He also saw how Sakuno was feeling uncomfortable with the unwanted attention. He doubted that she could fend off the guy by herself because she was too polite and timid for her own good.

A few tensed seconds passed before the young man stepped back and refrained from the staring contest he had with Tezuka. He offered a strained smile at Sakuno and excused himself disappearing into one of the doors behind the counter. It wasn't until the door closed that Tezuka turned away and flickered his eyes towards Sakuno.

"Do you have everything you need?"

"Ah.. Hai,senpai. I only have to p-pay for it," she told him before picking up the materials from the counter and proceeding to the cashier.

He offered to help by holding her book bag despite her stuttering protests that she can handle it on her own. After paying for everything, she then placed some of the materials she bought inside her bag to lessen the things that she had to carry. It was a good thing that everything fit snugly inside it and that she didn't have to burden her senpai.

Tezuka opened the door for her and watched her step outside the shop. He continued looking at her walking half a step ahead of him with a slight skip in her steps. Her left hand tightly held onto her bag while the other one was freely swaying on her side. She had a peaceful smile on her face that significantly brightened up her features. She wore a look of quiet contentment and he wondered about how a simple thing such as purchasing a few art materials could bring out a pleasant reaction from her.

After a few minutes of walking, they finally reached one of the sports stores that he frequently goes to. He was about to open the door when a small hand suddenly grabbed the strap of his bag. He looked down and saw Sakuno chewing on her bottom lip while attempting to voice out something to him. He answered her action with a slight raise of his brows to indicate that she had gotten his attention.

"S-senpai…e-eto.. Is it alright i-if I w-wait for you there b-because I need t-to buy s-something and I don't want to t-take up all of your t-time," she managed to say while pointing at the convenience store across the street.

"Aa," he replied earning him another bright smile from the girl. He just stood and waited there until she was inside of the convenience store before entering the sports shop himself.

Inside the store, Sakuno immediately headed towards the beverages section wanting to buy something for Tezuka as a sign of her gratitude for accompanying her today and helping her out back in the arts and crafts store. She chose iced green tea for her senpai and strawberry milk for her. She walked over to the readymade food section, grabbed two sandwiches and paid for it at the counter. While waiting for her change, she noticed a small black cat walking past the glass door of the convenience store. She smiled fondly at it then suddenly her smile ceased just as quickly as it had appeared. The cat was walking in an unusual way as if it was limping. And then she saw the horrible gash down on one of its legs.

After grabbing the plastic bags containing their food, she didn't waste another second and pushed through the glass doors to reach the animal. She tried calling out to it to catch its attention but failed miserably as it suddenly hastened its pace away from her. She could feel the fear that was evident in its eyes when it looked at her and the pain that it must have felt trying to use its injured leg to run away. That scene only made her feel more compassionate towards the little fellow. She followed it through the winding streets of the city trying hard enough not to appear as if she was chasing it away. Her conviction to help the creature overrode the idea that her senpai would probably be worried when he finds out that she had gone missing from the convenience store without a single word to inform him of her whereabouts. The cat finally stopped in its tracks when they reached a dead-end alley. She slowly tiptoed towards it while carefully watching her movements so as not to frighten the helpless animal. She reached out her hand near its head and paused when it suddenly jerked away from her. She waited for a few more seconds and watched in fascination as the creature sniffed her fingers as if trying to determine whether to trust her or not.

"I won't hurt you," she whispered faintly. It seemed to understand her words because it meowed back and lightly bumped its head on her outstretched hand. She smiled and softly patted its head. She was glad her actions paid off. She carefully ran a hand along its fluffy body over and over still trying to get it to trust her completely. Minutes passed by and she decided to gently pick him up while gauging its reaction to her movements. She was glad that it didn't try to scratch her or anything like that.

"We better get your leg checked," she said as the little fellow snuggled comfortably in her arms. She looked around and bit her lower lip in frustration. She completely forgot about how she had gotten here. She walked towards the better-lit streets trying to be careful not to bump into anyone. She looked up at the store signs to see if she would see something familiar that might help her get back to her previous location. She was already feeling slightly apprehensive and guilty for suddenly going off like that without saying anything to her senpai. She looked around and felt even more anxious when she still couldn't find her way back.

"What am I going to do now?"

* * *

><p>"Stop this instance!" Atobe unceremoniously commanded his driver to stop his limousine right in the middle of the busy road upon seeing something he had never expected. He didn't care if his little stunt was causing traffic. He didn't even bother with the loud honking of the cars behind them. All of his attention was focused on the famous stoic captain of Seigaku who was currently running through the streets of a certain shopping district in Tokyo that could even put Naniwa's speed star to shame.<p>

His impeccably sharp eyes could see that there was definitely something wrong with Tezuka. He had never seen his rival so worked up before about something that did not even involve tennis. If you ask him how he knew it wasn't about tennis, the great Atobe Keigo would only answer you that his insights showed him so.

"Just what in the world are you up to now, Tezuka? Ahn," he wondered aloud and told his driver to follow the running figure and not lose sight of him whatever it takes.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Sorry for the relatively short chapter. This is the only way I could cut the story without giving away too much or too little.


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